CHOOSE YOUR OWN RING  An Interactive Adventure
by The Curious Kills
Summary: An interactive literary fiction patterned after the ingenious "Choose Your Own Adventure" series. I figured that if Mary Sues are so desperate to go to M.E., why not give them a chance and see how they really do? WORK IN PROGRESS.
1. An Introduction to the Game

**Introduction**

So many people on seem to be obsessed with writing themselves into stories, and one of the fandoms that has been most grievously plagued (presumably due to the lack of kick-butt feminist anti-male characters… or a basic lack of imagination) is Lord of the Rings. Both the books and the series must have had what, a hundred, a thousand fangirls cast into their midst? And the story almost always takes a turn towards the Pro-Sue standpoint.

Therefore I give all of you Mary Sues an opportunity to work out you desire to infiltrate Middle Earth with this handy dandy interactive fiction patterned after the style of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Beware – not all of your mistakes can be covered up quite so nicely in this, the ultimate test of your survival skills.

This story will not allow you into the center of the plot as Tolkien wrote it. I'm sorry, but I can't allow myself to even think about doing that. Instead, you're just going to have to guess at what time period you'd fallen into, because wormholes and gateways are seldom accurate when they occur on a whim.

Good Luck!

Nyala Necheyev


	2. Scene One

**Scene #1**

You are lying on your bed, reading your favorite book from the Lord of the Rings series, when suddenly the world seems to fall out from under you. The cosmos stretch you like a tanned hide, and the stars begin jumping in and out of themselves like lemons and gin. All around you is nothingness, then slowly, vaguely you begin to capture images of your fantasies. What is happening?

Then, finally, everything stops.

You find yourself clinging to the flimsy paperback as if it were a lifeline, even though you are paralyzed and can't seem to move a muscle. All you can do is stare up at the forest-filtered sky and gurgle unintelligibly through locked jaws as you try to call for help. Breathing feels like an eighteen-ton weight has landed on your chest, and the only sound you can hear is your own pounding heartbeat.

**You try to call for help – Go to Scene Keyword 'SOS'.**

**You try to find out where you are – Go to Scene Keyword 'Disorientation'.**


	3. Disorientation

**Scene Keyword 'Disorientation'**

You try to probe your surroundings visually, but all that you can see is the sunlight filtering through the tall, layered branches of emerald green leaves far above you. If only you could move so you could look around and find out where you are!

It's decided – you need help, and fast. What happens when night falls? What if some creep comes up and grabs you, or what if some wild animal, a bear or something, tries to make a meal out of you while you're still lying here awake? The very thought adds yet more fuel to your slowly building panic.

**Go to Scene Keyword 'SOS'**


	4. SOS

**Scene Keyword 'SOS'**

You summon the last reserves of your strength and try to scream, but no sound emerges from your lips, save for a low whine. A leaf falls from the branches above you. A few birds scatter. Fear begins to grow in your heart – are you paralyzed? You very well could be. You try to move, but you cannot even feel most of your body, much less command it. A small tear of buried panic escapes from the corner of your eye as you start praying to whoever's listening that somebody will come along soon who can help you.

A gust of autumn wind brushes over you and the book finally falls limply from your frozen fingers onto the ground. You hear a dog bark, and your hopes are rekindled. The next time you hear the sound, it is much farther away, and your chances of rescue seem even dimmer than before. You almost want to scream again, but you know already that you can't.

Finally the dog's sounds come closer toward you and your heart almost leaps into the sky for all the joy and relief that rushes through it. Maybe somebody has picked up your trail! Maybe…

A beautifully groomed hunting dog pauses beside you and sniffs at your unmoving face. You want to impulsively wipe away the snot that's sprayed onto your cheek, but you cannot lift your arm. You moan, trying to warn the dog off as you hear light footsteps approaching.

You cannot see very well out of the corner of your eyes, but you cannot help but recognize the silvery blond hair of Legolas Greenleaf. Once again, you want to scream, but not in fear – in excitement! Is it really him, or is this just one of those really weird nightmares that all of your friends are lucky enough to have but never you?

Legolas speaks in Elvish to the dog – "Seere, Mithastald," – and the canine obeys without a fuss, backing away so that the book-famous elf can have a look at your condition. You can tell by his expression that he is more concerned about whether you are alive or dead that whether you are normal or not, and you are for once glad that this dream has a better plot than some of your favorite Mary Sue stories.

Legolas first inspects the area around you, his blue eyes ('as clear as a running brook in the springtime', as one fanfiction described them) searching systematically for clues toward the nature of your problems. Noting the book lying beside you, Legolas gives it a brief look before turning his attention to your perplexing physical state. He passes a warm, smooth hand over your brow, covering your eyes for a moment. Then he pauses, listening to your breathing and heartbeat with Elvish good hearing. Finally, he takes your right hand between both of his and begins to rub it vigorously. Warmth and feeling spring to life in your veins, as well as some pain as your nerve endings scream out in protest at their abrupt reawakening.

"Avo 'osto," he says to you gently as you begin to moan at the stabbing sensation of a thousand needles digging into your right arm, "Suula sanya."

You can't understand what he's saying, but you can guess that he is trying to tell you not to worry and to calm down a little bit. But how can you? You are so terrified… It's one thing to read about a person from a comfortable room inside a cozy little house built with all of the modern world's comforts, but it's a totally different situation when you must actually face and interact with that very character on his own terms!

Finally your arm seems weak but movable again. With Legolas's wordless guidance, you flex it a couple times while he moves on to your other arm. After a few more minutes he helps you to sit up before he begins rubbing your calves in the same manner.

After about twenty to thirty minutes you are back to normal again, if a little bit giddy and unstable. Legolas places one hand on your forearm and another against your back and suggests something else to you in Elvish. It seems that he wants you to try standing up, so you do… and promptly collapse again, this time rescued from a nasty knock on the back of your head by Legolas, who quickly catches you with a concerned expression.

"Lle ier engwar," he says to you in a comforting, almost soothing tone, despite his alien nature, "Avo 'osto. Edhel yassen lle ier varna." You listen trustingly without understanding his words, to afraid and shaken up to speak. He picks up the book you brought with you and places it in your hands respectfully before lifting you and carrying you from the scene as if you were a child. The remaining weariness and fear catches up with you, and before you know it he has carried you far away from the place where you first fell. The dog follows behind the two of you, occasionally running ahead to scent out the way to wherever Legolas is taking you.

**You remain silent – Go to Scene Keyword 'Elftown'.**

**You try to ask questions – Go to Scene Keyword 'Curioser'.**

(I know, my sources for Elvish suck. I'm trying desperately to find a decent site but none seem very reliable. But hey, to cheer you guys up with a little bit of distraction, try to guess where you are before I tell you in the game! If you guess correctly, I will read and review the story of the winner's choice.)


	5. Curioser

**Scene Keyword 'Curioser'**

As Legolas carries you, you can feel your strength returning reluctantly to your body. So many questions are in your head right now, and, not being too afraid of his realness, you decided to quiz the Elf on where you are and when.

"Legolas," you say, forgetting to introduce yourself in your anxious desire to know, "Where am I? What's happened to me?"

Your ethereal benefactor looks into your face with a slight frown, as if he has just been presented with a rather perplexing riddle. He remains silent, however, and continues to walk on.

"Legolas," you say again, a little louder and clearer this time – it's natural for Human beings to assume that when someone doesn't answer right away, it means that they must not have been heard very clearly, "Where am I?"

Legolas looks at you again, noting the irritation in your voice. He gives you an apologetic yet admonishing shake of his head and says something to you in Elvish, probably saying that he cannot understand what you are saying. He then tries to say something else to you, a question in a language you never even heard in the movies. You are bewildered and more than a little bit embarrassed that you even opened your mouth.

**You spend the rest of the trip in silence. Proceed to Scene Keyword 'Elftown'.**


	6. Elftown

**Scene Keyword 'Elftown'**

The two of you – three, counting the dog, who continues to meander without getting underfoot – travel in silence until Legolas arrives at what looks at first to be yet another boring old clearing in the woods. When you look up, however, you realize that you are now in the midst of what looks to be a prestigiously humble settlement of tree houses, definitely recent as far as Elvish establishments go, yet still beautiful despite its lack of age and fancy furnishing. Each tree house has its own singular touch to it, as if it was built by hand by the person who now lives there.

A few Elves approach, one literally dropping from the branches of a proud and sturdy-skinned oak, to greet Legolas; then their eyes take notice of you, the stranger in their midst. They look to Legolas and begin to ask him questions, some speaking quickly, others speaking with quiet curiosity.

Legolas sets you down carefully, making sure that you can stand on your own two feet first before answering his fellows. His voice and speech is steady, yet with some question, as if he's not quite sure of what you're doing here either. He then turns to you and asks you a question, holding out his hand in request.

You remain still for a moment, unsure what Legolas wants from you... then you remember the paperback copy of "The Return of the King" that you hold now in your left hand. Apparently, Legolas Greenleaf wants you to give him the very book that inspired his existence! Would it be harmless to let him handle it, or would it be taking a dangerous risk, should he happen to discover the nature of what he is holding?

**You give him the book – Go to Scene Keyword 'Showcase'.**

**You refuse – Go to Scene Keyword 'No'.**

(I also want to say at this point that I am glad you all are enjoying this adventure so far! I will definitely be updating it, but I will be writing at least three to five separate scenes each time before I update, so that you can't look too far ahead and cheat! ^_~ Thanks for the reviews, LittleMay and Lolimochi!)


	7. Showcase

**Scene Keyword 'Showcase'**

You hesitate for a moment, but then reasoning comes to mind at a steady, trickling flow. If Legolas can't speak your language, he probably can't read it, so what harm would there be in letting him have the book for a moment? He would give it back, surely, and there's little risk of any of the other Elves speaking English if one of their princes can't.

Compliantly, you hand him the book but inform him, "Just please give it back, okay?"

Legolas takes it and addresses you with a brief, "Le hannon," before returning his attention to his people, showing them the book and continuing to speak, presumably about the possibility of its importance. You watch quietly. Legolas's dog, a beautiful specimen about the size of a Husky with wolf-like markings and a glossy coat, pads up to you and pushes his head into your limp hand, demanding to be petted. Amiably, you stroke the dog's head and neck as his tail begins to wag comfortably.

The book passes to the hands of each Elf for some time as they try to identify the origin and purpose of the item.

**Go to Scene Keyword 'Contact'.**


	8. No

**Scene Keyword 'No'**

You tighten your grip around the much-beloved novel and shake your head to give the universal signal of 'No'. If Legolas so much as caught a glimpse of the obvious references toward Middle Earth (IE the map in the front cover) he would certainly begin to suspect that you were either a spy or some other sort of informer, wouldn't he? Or maybe he'd immediately find out what you were and start asking you questions! You can't let him have the book.

Legolas waits patiently for a moment, then sighs and says to you with a quiet but commanding voice, "Anno nin parma." The nearby group of Elves watch the uncomfortable exchange quietly, eying you with some discomfort as you once again tell Legolas, "No," and begin to back away.

Legolas' dog gets behind you, cutting off your escape. The prince of Mirkwood reoffers his hand, as if to say, 'How about now?' The previous unease you felt toward him and the rest of his kind turns into one of near panic, and your hands start trembling as you realize the futility of the situation.

Seeing your weakness, Legolas simply reaches forward and takes the book from your shaking, useless fingers.

**Go to Scene Keyword 'Contact'.**


	9. Contact

**Scene Keyword 'Contact'**

Finally, Legolas and his friends have finished with your book and their leader returns it to you. Receiving it with a murmured, "Thank you," you hold the book close to you, not wanting to risk the chance of losing it in this strange and mythical place. The dog raises his head and sniffs at it for a moment before becoming totally bored with it and running off after a falling acorn instead. He gets to the site soon enough to catch the thing in his mouth, impressing you and bringing a smile to your face.

After a time, a young Elvish man standing at about 5'10" approaches you and bows in greeting. "Suilad," he says to you, "Heniach nin?"

You smile and shrug, hoping you don't look like an idiot for not understanding what he's trying to say to you. The Elf then asks you something again, only in an obviously different language. You are still bewildered. He tries this several times, and you begin to guess that he's trying to find a language in which he can communicate with you. Finally, he points to his face and says, "Heledir."

"Heledir?" you echo uncertainly.

"Heledir," he says with a nod, and then repeats it as if trying to clarify something, "Im Heledir. Le…?" He points to your face, and you guess that he's trying to ask you your name. You tell it to him, a bit uncertainly.

Heledir repeats after you, his golden-brown eyes studying not only your expression, but the way you move your mouth around each syllable, the way every muscle moves as you speak. You get the feeling that either he's trying to study the way you speak or he's checking you out. The possibility of the latter makes you a bit uncomfortable. Heledir is attractive, yes, but there's something about him that seems strange and inhumanly powerful. It's that same feeling that made you nervous when Legolas came to your aid. Do all Elves make you feel this way? Is it an allergic reaction? You hope not.

Heledir's communication with you may be a chance to learn something about the Elvish language, you realize. Maybe you could figure out a way to learn from him, the same way he may be trying to learn from you…

**Remain silent – Go to Scene Keyword 'Echoes'.**

**You try to learn Elvish – Go to Scene Keyword 'Lingo'.**


	10. Echoes

**Scene Keyword 'Echoes'**

An awkward silence hangs over both of you until finally you decide to try walking away. You turn your back to him, give a slight wave of your hand and indicate that you are going elsewhere. A slight look of disappointment appears on Heledir's face, but you have to look out for yourself, first. You don't want to end up with a creeper on your tail, good-looking or not, and your first priority really should be to figure out where you are. For that you need to look in your book and do some serious observation on your surroundings.

Under the watchful eyes of Heledir, you begin to walk away and suddenly experience a wave of queasiness. You pause in your tracks and place a hand over your gut. It feels like you're about to throw up. Despite the sudden call of warning from Heledir, you dash off for an area of forest out of sight, not wanting to be seen vomiting in the midst of the Elves' pretty little town.

A few minutes later finds you sitting on your knees, leaning against a sturdy birch with involuntary tears in your eyes and a horrible taste in your mouth. The smell of your own vomitus reeks, but the last thing you want to do right now is go anywhere, unless it's straight back home to get some medicine and sympathy from your mom. You absolutely don't want to have to face Heledir and Legolas looking like a weak, sick little girl… but do you really want to stay here in the middle of an unknown forest? Who knows; with your luck, maybe a platoon of Orcs will find you.

**Try to make it back to the Elf Town – Go to Scene Keyword 'As a Dog'**

**Get some rest before standing up again – Go to Scene Keyword 'After These Messages'**


	11. After These Messages

**Scene Keyword 'After These Messages'**

Choosing to risk the Orcs, you close your eyes and try to drift off to sleep. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to wake up from this one…

You awaken to find Heledir beside you, brushing dirt over the expelled contents of your stomach without expression. Once finished, he looks to you and smiles gladly to find that you are awake. He stands up, offering you a hand for support, and leads you back to the village with gentle sympathy in his expression. Once there, he takes you to the base of a tree, gesturing upward toward the well-made tree house above, as if asking you if you feel well enough to go up with him.

You shake your head. You don't want to risk vomiting on Heledir's floorboards. Understanding your desires, Heledir quickly goes up by himself and comes back with a small, clear glass vial, in which a pale, milky-colored liquid is contained. He hands it to you, suggesting you drink it.

**You drink it – Go to Scene Keyword 'Bottoms Up'.**

**You decline it – Go to Scene Keyword 'Thanks But…'**


	12. Lingo

**Scene Keyword 'Lingo'**

Despite any misgivings, you make the decision to start learning. Surely an Elf wouldn't really be so base as to start hitting on an obviously disoriented and language-challenged Human girl only a half-hour after they first saw each other. After all, Elves are supposed to be symbols of all that is advanced and cultured in Middle Earth, right?

"Heledir," you say to him, "I want to learn Elvish." The immortal's eyes brighten as you speak to him, as if the very sound of your language is opening up new insights for him. He nods, encouraging you to continue.

You are at a loss for a moment on what to ask first.

**Ask where you are – Go to Scene Keyword 'GPS'.**

**Glean some vocabulary – Go to Scene Keyword 'Words'.**


	13. As A Dog

**Scene Keyword 'As a Dog'**

Ever the trooper, you slowly get back to your feet and start to walk in the direction you think you came from. It's hard going; every step feels like somebody tied gold bricks on your feet. Nevertheless, you manage to make it quite a few feet before you absolutely have to stop and take a breather.

As you try not to think of your nausea, you catch sight of an approaching Elf – Heledir. Despite your doubts about him you feel an emotion of relief. Maybe he has some medicine that can cure your stomach ache.

Heledir seems to be very forgiving of you, despite the way you walked out on him only a few minutes ago. After kicking dirt over the expelled former content of your stomach, he offers you a hand for support and leads you back to the village with gentle sympathy in his expression. Once there, he takes you to the base of a tree, gesturing upward toward the well-made tree house above, as if asking you if you feel well enough to go up with him.

You shake your head. You don't want to risk vomiting on Heledir's floorboards. Understanding your desires, Heledir quickly goes up by himself and comes back with a small, clear glass vial, in which a pale, milky-colored liquid is contained. He hands it to you, suggesting you drink it.

**You drink it – Go to Scene Keyword 'Bottoms Up'.**

**You decline it – Go to Scene Keyword 'Thanks But…'**


	14. Bottoms Up

**Scene Keyword 'Bottoms Up'**

With a little bit of misgiving – what if it tastes horrible? – you accept the vial and remove the stopper. Its smell is a soothing one, sort of like sitting in the center of a fragrant meadow which doesn't really have a perfume-like odor, but still has the power to somehow stimulate the olfactory with a natural yet hinting and silent smell.

You give a weak smile and murmur, "Bottoms up," even though you know that Heledir won't understand what you're saying, before you put your lips to the vial opening and pour the stuff in your mouth. It tastes simple but tinny, kind of like colloidal silver water. Thankfully, there is not even a suggestion of sweetness or spice in it.

Not only does the potion wash the taste of vomit from your mouth; it also makes the butterflies in your stomach stop batting around so much. Within moments you start to feel better.

"Thanks, Heledir," you say to the Elf, who is still watching you with a kind intent.

**Let's think again – Go to Scene 'Lingo'.**


	15. Thanks But

**Scene Keyword 'Thanks But…'**

You shake your head, declining what could either be medicine or some kind of drug. You're really not quite ready to trust him, despite how nice he's being. You just need to sit back and take a breather. You'll be okay in a few minutes.

Heledir shrugs with an unintentional grace and goes upstairs again, returning it to the place he got it from and coming back to you afterwards. Despite the fact that you refused his care, he still seems politely concerned about you.

**Maybe you were wrong about him – Go to Scene Keyword 'Lingo'.**


End file.
